Running – 922

The Girl In Red Shorts

So, most days, I leave from home at around 645. Some days I am early and some, late. But it is around this time. The idea is that there’s no traffic on the road and I like reaching early and getting a head start. Against who, I am not sure.

Why would I leave home in the first place? Early or late? Cos I cant work at home. If I had my way, I would leave home at 3:45 and reach at 4:15 and get going with things that are supposed to be done. You know, more things get done in the morning. Don’t you?

What is open at that hour? Starbucks close to my place opens at 7 AM. The office is 24 x 7 access, though there’s no AC. Which is ok these days. So, there is someplace to park my ass, get the Internet and get some work done.

Ok, I am digressing.

Coming back. When I leave at around 6:45, I see all these young people trying to get fitter – some are pumping iron, some are doing yoga and a lot of them are running around. I also see older folks that are pretending to work out and whiling away time. You know, in life. And then there are those walkers, employed with the sole purpose of getting the dogs to poop at places where no one can spot em. I also see those scrappy young men cleaning cars. And I see sleepy-eyed guards that often do double shifts. Everyone is part of the scenery.

The only person that catches my eye in all this melee is this girl that is running like her life depends on it.

And no, she’s not the only one running there. People of all ages, shapes, genders, and sizes run. And they run with varying speeds. And with different emotions. Some are calm. Come are huffing and puffing. Some are enthused about the act of running. The scenery I talked about? Each person is part of the scenery. You see them and you ignore them. They are like furniture that you don’t even know you ignored. They are there. To fill the stage for the main hero to come in and perform. Like those filler acts that open for the headliner?

And who is the headliner? The girl I talked about. The girl in Red Shorts. The one that is running like her life depends on it.

For starters, I have this thing for red. The color of C4E. The color of excitement. The color of energy, strength, passion, Coke, blood, danger and lipsticks.

Plus, when she runs, it is a sight to behold. It is an epitome of the beauty of the human body in motion. Don’t confuse her for those fashion models that just look great. This woman is in motion. In action. When she’s running, she’s pushing herself. And her physical limits. It is a spectacle to watch.

Thing is, when she’s running, all you see on her face is this determination for the next stride. You can see that she is trying hard and pushing herself. Unlike a lot of other people that run, she is not smiling. She is not relaxed. She is not taking is easy. She is at it. Hardcore man. You know that this running is taking considerable effort for her. And she is putting in the effort required. Which a lot of people will not. They would give up. Heck, I would give up!

I am of course at a respectful distance and not make her uncomfortable with the staring. But for as long she is in the line of sight, she does not stop running man! I wish I could run like her. I don’t know her name but I do know that theGirlIn Red Shorts is my inspiration. If she can, I can. In fact, if I had the balls to talk to random women, I would walk up to her and ask her to be my trainer.

Irrespective, I need to get back to running (for the umpteenth time). This entire idea of someone running, struggling at it and yet not giving up is an alien concept. I HAVE to be like her. Right now, I get excited about something, I do it for a few days and then I give up. I need to have consistency in what I do. And in when I do and how I do.

Maybe the Girl in Red Shorts is the inspiration?

Regards,
The guy in black short shorts who does not run at all.

Read other #TheGirlIn stories here.

QnA with self.

So, on May 07, I went for a walk and I was like on the top of the fucking world. Its been three, four days since I went. Not that I dont want to. I really want to. There is all the intent in the world. What is lacking is the ability. Despite putting multiple alarms and all that, I am unable to wake up on time.

Why not? Is waking up hard? Arent you a morning person?
Thing is waking up has never been a problem for me – I can get by with very little sleep. May be its the age. That its tougher to wake up after you’ve had a night out.

And why would you have a night out when you are committed to fitness!
Because there are things to be done that are often tough to do during the day!

And what are those things?
Meeting people. I anyway dont meet people that dont add anything to my life. But there are people that I really care for and in case they want to meet, I have to do my bit. And unlike me they don’t really have control over their time and thus they can only meet post work.

Plus as I grow the business, I have to meet more people – hoping to learn new things, find contacts, explore things that I am not in the know of etc etc. And when you meet someone for the first time, thanks to our societal conditioning, we dont really “impose” our whims on others. While you are your authentic self, you try to meet at a common ground and establish a rapport. Its a transaction and its tough.

Ok three things. You have control over your time? Whats authenticity? Grow business?
Control over time as in that most days I can choose what I want to work on that day. Of course there are client meetings and things to do and places to be. In most cases I can choose these. I’ve built my life like that. And of course I’ve been terribly lucky! You know I dont have that strict 9 to 5 kind of a schedule (while I impose one on myself – I like the discipline) that most others have.

Grow business. You dint know? I am committed to be a dollar millionaire by end of FY18-19. Also I think this is the first time I am articulating this. Have around 10 months to make it happen. Lets see. Do wish me luck.

And authenticity? If there is one business jargon I can make myself understand and use more and more, it is authenticity. It essentially is a combination of your personality, consistency and your deeds. For example, if I say that I love criticism and when someone criticises me, I balk, I am NOT being authentic. You get the drift?

Wow. Thats nice. All the best! Coming back. To running. You sound like yet another AFC – lot of talk, no action. Whats the plan?
Well, the plan is to show up. Try everyday till I succeed. The plan is to do 21 days on the trot. Right now, the longest streak is about 3 days. Need to take it up to 21 And then I think I’ll be sorted.

And no, 21 days is NOT habit forming. The real number I think is 66. I mean the jury is out there. I want to take the tough road. 66 it is. 666 for all I care. Right now, I want to do three weeks. And then may be more.

Ok. Good luck with it. Can I ask you for another favor?
Shoot.

How about writing? You know, since I know you well, you sort of enjoy writing. You like the process. And you know that writing helps you connect with more people and makes an impact and a difference and all that.
Ok, I know what you are saying. I will try. Thing is, its about prioritising and saying no. I want to get rich. Its that simple. So, anything that helps me make money, I want to do that and anything that stops me from that, I want to skip. I dont think writing allows me to make money.

Doesnt it? Writing opens doors and gives you access to people. And people are what get things done!
Dont get me started on people. I know I’ve been lucky but I dont have what it takes to forge deep relationships. Ok I am ranting. Next question.

Fair. And while you are chasing money, what about an enriched life? I mean you could have all the money in the world but if you dont have anyone to share it with, what’s the point?
Dude! You dont know me. Remember that unlike the creative ones that come naturally talented, I am the odd one out. I do NOT have a single skill that can be monetised. And neither do I have access to anyone that help me monetise their talent (and allow me to make money in the process).

So, this means that I need to work hard, hustle and do more than anyone else.

I can choose an enriched life. Or I can choose a life of riches. No points for guessing the one I am picking.

Uh ok. If you insist.
No man. I mean it. The world we live in, there is no meaning if you dont have a life of abundance. Of course poor people are happy and they are content with a life of constraints. I just have one question for them. Whatever they are doing, will they not do it better, faster, easier and all that if they had more money?

Money does not buy you happiness but it enables you to do things that give you happiness.

A simple case in point is my control over my time. I can control over large part of my time and I can thus do a lot of things that a lot of my people cant do. Extrapolate this. If I could control every living second, imagine the impact I could have! Imagine the, what is the word you used? Enriched? Imagine how enriched would that life be when you have things in abundance!

Ok. To be honest, I think I’ve lost you there. And since I am your alter ego, you need to know that I’ve lost interest. I need to move on. Before I go, can you promise to write everyday? Even if its crap. Can you just publish? PLEASE?
Arey yaar!

Ok I will try. Promise. And I promise that I will go run!

Tomorrow?
Yes!

Thank you!
Thank you!

On running

Today I went for a ~~run~~ walk (here’s the numbers if you are curious). What prompted me to run? A visit to Cottonworld.
Huh? What?
Arey I’ve been on Keto for some time now and I think that I’v lost weight. That means I need to buy clothes. And I went to Cottonworld to get some. And thats when I got the rude shock. Despite all the suppression of craving for dal makhani and all, I still measure the same. 36 fucking inches. And thats when it hit me. I need to exercise.
Wait. I cant exercise. Hernia. I can run but. And thus, the run.
Walk. Walk.
Mr. Garg. Walk.
Right. Walk. So I went for a walk. Here are some reflections from the walk.

A. Walking is boring. Especially if you are in your building complex. Or on the treadmill. And I cant run on the road (strays and all). Fuck you, dog lovers.

The point is, I need to find entertainment when I walk. I’ve tried podcasts but despite all the great conversations, I get bored. Bored. Not tired. So I need to fix that. By finding a companion. Could be music, could be podcast, could be a person. Or could be just an end goal. Need to figure that.

B. I have this weird thing where I cant seem to do that whole warmup, stretching routine. I put my shoes, kiss the track and break into a stride. That simple. I cant warm up or stretch or pace myself. If I do any of that, I run far less that what I can run when I just fire away. I know this is not cool. You need to condition yourself and all that.

Also, I cant take breaks. I mean I can run as much as I can in one go. I cant do this thing where I run for sometime, take a break, walk for a bit and then go back to running. I cant. I need to be able to just dash! The moment I stop, the momentum is gone. And I cant do anything after that.

So if I have to get to my marathon, I need to get this fixed. How? Anyone?

C. Mindgames. Like everyone says, running is mind games. And I need someone to give me company. I’ve tried Striders and other such communities. I am not sure they work for me. I will probably find a coach to get me started and then do it by myself.

I am participating in this 2019in2018. It worked for a few days but the lack of interaction with other runners made me lose sight. Plus, the carrot of mere social acceptance did not cut it.

D. Misc. I read on this blog that while running, you need to find a rhythm so that the whole process of running is broken into small chunks of moments. Each moment is like a self-contained unit. And you need to focus so sharp and so much on each unit that all you’ve left with is that unit. So rather worrying about the 42 KM run, you worry about 84 chunks of 500 meters each. You get the drift?

E. Literature on running. There are these books that come heavily recommended. All you need to do is follow them and you could probably run the marathon without fail. I need to get on that.

Then there are these running books that have been written by prominent authors. Each extolling the virtues of running. Case in point? Murakami. Point? Running is such a fascinating subject that allows you to explore your inner self. I know I am not making sense here.

Thats it. Enough for the time being. And no, now that I have ~~spoken about running~~ ranted about my attempts to fail at running, time to get some work done!

Hello 2015.

2015. Via

Every year, around this time, I get into this self-evaluation mode. I think about what went right and what went wrong during the year. I think about the year ahead and things I would do in the coming year. I am after all, big on new year resolutions!

So, #in2015, I would do the following.

#writing. Write 250K words. Yeah. 250,000. Translates into about 4 full-length books. Looks tough to do but if I manage to write a 1000 words everyday, for say 5 days a week, for 50 weeks, I’d do it.
#writing. Publish book 2. I don’t know what to call it though. I am thinking of calling is #trss. But let’s see what it ends up being. I have a vague idea of the storyline. I was supposed to get the first draft ready by the year end. But havent been able to even start. So, I am looking at a 2015 release, I will have to get the draft out to Sachin and Parul by end of March 15.
#fitness. Will be 30″. This’s been like a perpetual goal. It’s been three years that I’ve been trying but nothing has happened. I did lose some inches but I am back to my former glory, thanks to long work hours and a sedentary lifestyle.
#running. Will run a FULL marathon in the year. Despite my hernia. I am targeting a marathon in August / September. I am following this book (after I saw it on Prof. Bakshi’s blog). Will start training in January. Have started the prelim training already. I am using the C25K app to get me to start running for 30 minutes before I begin the book.
#money. Will have saved 10 lakhs. Right now, my savings account stands at Rs. ~~5005~~ 700. Also, I will have created an alternate source of income. And I will not have to work for money. This is the number 1 goal on my list. For this, I am willing to be taken for a ride, willing to follow those babas, talk to those self-help gurus, walk the tight rope between ethics and legality.
#music. Learn to play guitar. It’s going to be an expensive hobby. But I will learn it. Not because I want to perform on the stage but I want to challenge myself to learn a new skill. Why guitar? Because I like it’s sound. I love music. I can give an arm and a leg to be good at it. I just need to give it some time!
#poker. Restart poker. I am an average player and have had some limited success with it. As per my poker stats, I have actually lost a total of 30K (not including travel, hotel and other incidentals) on poker. So, yeah I have lost money. I will focus on it and see if I can get any good at it. I will give it a year and see where it goes. If I dont become any good, I will revert to being a recreational player. The dreams of WSOP can take a back seat then.
#social. Identify a cause and work with that. Human conditions, diseases, nature, culture, conflict etc do not move me. Rather, education does. Development does. Sustainability (not in terms of nature but in terms of perpetual existence) does. Or may be something else. I will pick something up and work on it.
#sgMS. I will try to get over her. No promises though. Thanks to rr for pointing out that it’s sucking the soul of me and I need to move on from her.
#read. Read more. Learn more. Write more. Talk less ;P
#travel. As much as I can. Irrespective of money. Travel.

So, in terms of a calendar, the milestones look like…

Mar: 5K race with a friend (Akshay)
May: Stop working for money

Sep: Marathon (full, in about 5 hours)

Dec: Book 2 out in market

Dec: 30″
Dec: Money in the bank
Sometime: Poker Tourney

That’s it. Wish me luck! And may be, help me crack these goals may be?

Oh, to get me to actually achieve these, I will have to resort to a few ideas. These sound like deviation from what I have been like. But like most other learning systems, I remain an evolving specimen of the tribe called the homosapiens. So I am learning. And evolving. Here are the ethos for 2015.

Do.
Ship. Steve Jobs way.
My time is limited. Money is not. I can earn money. I can make money. Not time.
No regret principle. Something that Jeff Bezos says.
Idea to project in 90 days. Read on Anaggh‘s twitter stream.
Get aggressive about marketing (without being obnoxious about it)

For the context, here are the links to previous posts.

Hello 2014

2014. The year that will be

Goals for 2013

2011

What about you? What are your goals #in2015? And, most importantly, can I do something to help you reach your goal #in2015?

I give up!

I give up. I can’t do it. I can’t. And I hate myself for it. I just don’t have the time to do it. Or may be I don’t think its important enough for me to do it. Or may be I don’t have the balls or perseverance to do anything. Or may be I am loser. Or may be, I am a quitter. Isn’t that why sgMS left me?

Irrespective. I can’t do it. I am a loser.

Second year running, despite all the effort, intent and determination, I have failed to reduce my waist or my weight and I am going to lose a bet. Bet is not important. Important is that I can’t do a shitty thing like losing weight. Especially when for a large part of the year I had nothing else to do. Fucking kept procrastinating. And here I am. Fat, old, unhealthy, lethargic all the time.

Of course now I have something to put the blame on. And yeah, that’s what I am doing. Getting off easy by putting the blame on someone else. I am not owning upto my shit. I am merely putting the blame on someone else. My job. It keeps me busy and so I don’t have any time to do anything. Guess this is what they mean when they say that it’s tough to juggle a day job and a hobby on the sides. Hate the fact that I have to slog the entire day, sitting behind a desk to be able to make ends meet. Hate that I’ve given the control of my life to someone else, willingly, so easily. Guess this is what that Apple TVC from 1984 spoke of?

The world, is fucking unfair. Life, unfairer than that. I refuse to play thy game. I want out.

Really do.

R. Run a Marathon.

This is a part of the April A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read about it here.

Next is R. The first thing that comes to my head when I think on character R is Reacher. Of the Jack Reacher fame. And the next is Run. And this is what the thing on my bucket list is. Run. Run a Marathon. And finish it.

R is Run a Marathon. Not just run, but finish a marathon.

There is nothing else I want to do more than running a marathon. To me its like the ultimate test of human spirit and grit. Its where you push yourself so much that every part, every muscle of your body is stretched to the extreme. So much so that you cant go anymore.

Plus its not a one time thing. You cant just wake up one morning and decide that you want to run a marathon. You gotta train hard for it. Like shit. For years. And even then you aren’t sure how you’d perform on the D day.

That is marathon. And that’s what I really really want to do.

Run Forrest Run!

Thing is, as a kid I was very active physically. I could run, jump, duck, walk, play, roll, squat, dive, shove, push, move with ease. I had great reflexes and I took pride in my extremely amazing reaction time. As I grew old and fat, I started to lag behind.

Now, when I am past my useful age, I can hardly move a muscle. I cant run ten inches without panting and heaving. I am that unhealthy. I can feature in those late night informercials where men complain that no one wants to talk to them because they are fat and all that. That!

Like other feedback loops, I am trapped in this one. Since I am unhealthy, I cant run and since I cant run, I am getting more unhealthy. And it sucks.

From that, fat, I want to be someone who can run marathons. All 42 KMs of it. Its not about the time. Its not about records. Its about a personal battle and its about finishing. Its about reaching the end. Its about finishing. See F.

There is just one way out. To go out and run. Run a meter today. And two tomorrow. Three the day after and so on and so forth. Its very simple. No? But to someone like me, who wants ACs and shoes and tracks and inspiration and all that, its a mammoth task. So huge that I always finds an excuse to not run. In fact to end this non-running bit, I have given myself a simple goal. If by the end of the year, I am not 30″, I would get a brand new iPhone to Neo. And if I am less than 30, he would get me one. And a large part of my inch-loss will have to come from running. If not running, then may be yoga or swimming.

Ok, I am digressing.

Coming back, I really really want to run a marathon and finish it. There are people (Fauja Singh) who take up running at 80 and are still running marathons at the age of 100. If they can, why cant I? Its such a simple sport. All you need to do is step out and go do it. Go run. Nothing else. All the damn world is the track and everything is an obstacle.

Damn! I want to run. A marathon!

P.S.: While I am at it, do see this ad by Nike. Has to be one of the best running ads that I have seen ever. And maybe this one as well.

Other posts in the A to Z Challenge: Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship, (Be a) Finisher, Give Away my Wealth, Handle a Baby, Inspire, Jack of all trades, Keep my shirt on, Make a lot of money, No, Off the Grid, Poker, Question Everything.

April 02, 2013. You've a habit of getting late.

The first phone call of the day was from a client and first thing he said was, “please make it at 2. You have a habit of getting late”. And in all the times I’ve met him, over the last three years, I’ve never ever been late.

Anyways (remember the rant yesterday about anyways?) the meeting went as expected. The client was his nasty self. I survived through it. And then the day was drab and boring. Just that I finished reading Kafka on the Shore. Totally blown by it. Will write a detailed review soon. Will restart reading On the Road now. Looking forward to it.

Other exciting thing to have happened today was the visit to my 5th Starbucks store in India, at the Delhi airport. Now I’ve been to all operational Starbucks store. Not an achievement I want to boast about but I love that brand and I don’t mind “stalking” it.

What else do I want to write about? I thought I would restart running. The Delhi. Trip has put a break on my 3 km walk/jog/struggle routine but I want to restart it. Today I could not. Tom I cannot as I have a flight. Day after tomorrow may be. Pray for me.

That’s it. Next update tomorrow.

Hastags for Feb 2013

Here is a long list of things that I’d do in Feb 2013.

#running – because I will take this up as a serious hobby. Thanks to @GurgaonCynic and Raj Sharma for inspiration. And thanks to Mrs. Neo and the bglsr team for the push.

#bridge – I shall try and learn a new card game apart from poker. Thanks to Arpit for the invite. While I talk about Bridge, I may goto Goa to participate in some poker tournament as well. After all poker remains a long term objective

#writing – I will finish Ghanta Ghar. If I do, I’d blame it on @Anaggh for the idea. And @Suds for inspiration.

#gravity – work. Would you know of someone who may need a vendor for marketing support services?

Thats about it. Four things. In this new year (#sg2013) I shall try and do small things, rather than plan for grandiose mansions and then not even put a brick in place.